Dengue fever, malaria, leptospirosis, and cholera rates remained low in 2014, according to the Ministry of Public Health department of epidemiology (DIGEPI) report on the incidence of these diseases in the DR in 2014. Maternal deaths, nevertheless, remained at the same level as in 2013.
The novelty during the year was the appearance of the Chikungunya virus, which in just 43 weeks registered 537,628 suspected cases. 40-50% of those affected by the virus did not require medical care.
The Ministry of Public Health says that cholera has kept a low profile and the trend is for it to end in the country. There were 584 suspected cases compared to 1,956 last year.
In the case of dengue fever, malaria and leptospirosis that are endemic, there were fewer cases. In 2014, there were 6,035 probable dengue cases, less than half the number reported in 2013, when 16,875 cases were reported.
For malaria, 479 cases were confirmed, 100 fewer than in 2013, when there were 479 cases. In 2014, there were 538 suspected cases of leptospirosis, which is 24% below 2013 when there were 705 suspected cases.
Maternal and child deaths in 2014 remained at a similar level to 2013. There were 178 maternal deaths reported and 3,131 child deaths. This compares to 183 maternal deaths and 3,233 child deaths in 2014. Maternal deaths are linked to hypertension, post-partum bleeding, infections at birth and incomplete abortions. 75% of the child deaths occurred during the first 28 days of birth, mainly related to complications during the pregnancy or birth. The other main causes include breathing problems and bacterial infections.
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